Organisational Behaviour and Culture - Essay Example

Organisational Behaviour and Culture Introduction Hofstede defined culture as the software that runs the mind. According to him, culture is akin to acomputer program that manages behaviour (Becker, 2013:15). On the other hand, other scholars have defined culture as a set of important beliefs and values that are shared by members of a specific society and are vital to their perception of the world as well as to the ideals worth fighting for. Culture has, therefore, been defined in many ways, but the common factor in all definitions is that culture symbolises uniformity in specific attributes and ways of life. That is why the whole world cannot have the same culture; different people, different beliefs. In this paper, the writer will discuss the dynamics of culture and organisational behaviour, and their relation to the case of company X. Thesis Statement: Company X will be better placed to do business in China once it has understood the dynamics of Chinese culture and its impacts on business. Discussion Researchers have created different models for classifying the world’s cultures. The frameworks suggest how people in a specific culture will behave and what types of values, approximately, they will have (Hawes, 2012:24). In spite of this, these models cannot forecast what any one person’s pattern of values will be – not everybody in a specific culture believes or acts like the majority. Sometimes, there are great disparities between single cultures in many cultures. Hofstede’s Model Hofstede particularly dedicated his research to work-related values in his examination of culture. He gathered data from IBM workers in over forty countries. While analysing the data from over one-hundred and sixteen workers, he derived four dimensions of values so that he could explain the variations among cultures (Kreitner and Kinicki, 2010:34). Later, he added a fifth. Although this data was gathered in the 1970s, many modern studies and data from outside the European continent have virtually confirmed his findings, albeit with minor differences or additions. Some major disparities have also been noted when alternate techniques are employed, or some non-European people are studied. According to Hofstede, cultures can be analysed, classified and compared based on five dimensions that influence behaviour, social norms (e.g. religious functions, marriages and funerals) and organisation practices. These dimensions are the following: a) Individualism – collectivism b) Masculinity – femininity c) Power distance d) Short-term – long-term outlook e) Risk or uncertainty avoidance These dimensions are often used to explain why cultures are different and how individuals and organisations can minimise the impacts of such differences on their relationships with others. In this case, company X can use the dimensions to better understand Chinese culture and its impacts on business (Tracy, 2013:18). China has one of the oldest and dominant cultures in the world, and Chinese people seriously value their culture. Company X can apply these dimensions, one at a time, to analyse business conduct, attitudes and norms among Chinese people and then orientate its employees to work within the limits of the new culture. Since Chinese culture is so rich and dominant, it is company X’s responsibility to adapt to it, not the other way round. This is important to know because some cultures are easily eroded by foreign influence as a result of weak foundations. This will not be the case here; company X must adapt its entire system to dovetail with Chinese culture, and it will reap the benefits financially. The company should use the five dimensions to understand Chinese consumers’ patterns of behaviour, spending power and spending habits. Any products or services launched must adhere to the results of the analysis. Hall’s Model Edward Hall employed the idea of context to explain differences in communication techniques across cultures. According to him, the context is the data that surrounds a function; it is permanently tied to the meaning of that function (Becker, 2013:26). Hall classified cultures on a scale (high-context to low-context). In the following table, it is easy to see examples of countries that have high and low-context communication techniques: High-Context Low-Context China Australia Egypt Canada India Denmark France England Italy Finland Japan Germany Lebanon Norway Saudi Arabia Switzerland Spain United States Syria Sweden In high-context cultures, it is normal that most of the information occurs in the physical context or is inherent in an individual. On the other hand, very little information is in the coded, perceptible, relayed part of the message (Becker, 2013:27). In Saudi Arabia, for example, family, co-workers, customers and friends, have close personal relationships and extensive information networks. They do not a lot of background data. In such cultures, people do not depend entirely on language to communicate. Timing, tone of voice, acceptable conduct, and facial expressions are heavily used in communication. In low-context cultures, the bulk of the information lies in an explicit code. People in Norway, for example, classify their lives into different elements such as work and personal lives. As a result, when interacting with other people, they have to receive more comprehensive information (Becker, 2013:28). These cultures rely on the use of words to relay meaning. Expressing complete and correct meaning using the right word choice is very important. Using Hall’s findings, company X should clearly see that China is a high-context culture in which words are not the only elements of communication. Facial expressions, physical conduct, tone of voice and timing are equally important and feature prominently in the communication process. Consequently, company X should teach its employees to gradually learn these techniques so that their communication with Chinese businesspeople and commoners becomes as easy as possible. In negotiations, for example, it is easy for company X’s people to misunderstand their Chinese counterparts and jeopardise potential business opportunities. Of course, translators and guides will assist in the beginning, but there is no better way to do it than through one’s own acquired knowledge. Relationship between Culture and Organisational Behaviour As communication techniques progress and countries become more closely connected through diplomacy and trade, more information on other cultures becomes available (Tong, 2011:49). Products and services are offered globally and in some instances, marketed uniformly everywhere. In the United States, for example, it is common to see people eating Burger King sandwiches while wearing Levis jeans, sitting in a Toyota filled with gasoline. Due to this, some scholars say that cultures are becoming increasingly similar and that research on culture is, therefore, pointless. However, closer inspection of what appear to be universal cultural norms reveals many disparities. Having a Burger King sandwich in Beijing or Moscow is somehow fancy, and the cost is over and above average. In New York, eating at Burger King is a simple convenience and one of the cheapest ways to eat in the city. On another level, the impacts of cultural variations are clearly visible (Tong, 2011:52). Ethnic tensions continue flaring around the world. These tensions often emerge from efforts to maintain unique cultural values and identities. Culture, although not the sole variable of significance, is highly influential in explaining vital variations in societal behaviour. With the acceptance and appreciation of the impacts of culture in organisations comes a good comprehension of management and organisational behaviour across the world. Culture and Motivation Hofstede’s dimension of masculinity versus femininity also insinuates what may be considered rewarding in different societies. If a culture is masculine, like China’s, people prefer receiving titles, money or other materialistic or status-laden rewards. In feminine societies, “good” rewards are more benefits, time off or symbolic rewards. In some countries, the view of material items is as gifts instead of as rewards for performance (Woodside, 2010:36). For example, in China, organisations usually distribute food to all workers as holiday rewards. Senior executives receive more or better quality things, but workers make no connection between gifts and their performance. The type of culture in the country or region in which an organisation operates significantly influences the manner of motivating workers. In collective countries like China and Japan, giving a personal reward to workers could embarrass them and thus end up de-motivating them. In China, where culture is both high-context and collective culture, there are usually expected norms of conduct for specific circumstances (Punnett, 2013:41). Offering rewards for personal behaviour that goes against collective norms is unlikely to have positive impacts on motivation. Company X should use this to understand how to motivate its Chinese employees. Factors that motivate workers in organisations do not differ only with respect to various types of organisational culture but vary quite frequently within the specific culture. The type of rewards cherished by employees in China or the United States does not portray the culture of Chinese or Americans but also relies on other factors such as education, age, organisational level and contract of staff and gender. Culture and the Communication Process People in different cultures use different communication methods. The main variations in how people from different cultures communicate with each other are nonverbal communication, verbal techniques and language usage. For example, two people can speak the same language but do it quite differently (Limpanitgul, Jirotmontree, Robson, and Boonchoo, 2013:8). For example, Americans and Australians both speak English; however, the meaning of some words is very different. In some cases, it is even opposite in the two nations. In cultures using direct styles of verbal communication, the speaker attempts to relay his true feelings via the choice of words. On the other hand, in the indirect style, the speaker chooses words that conceal his true feelings. For example, Americans using the direct style say, “no” or “I will not do that” if they cannot go through with a particular deal on the other hand, a Chinese speaker might say, “It could be possible” or “It is attractive in principle” instead of saying “no” directly. The direct approach is common in low-context, individualistic cultures while the indirect style is commonly used in high-context, collective cultures. The former enables individualists to express their thoughts clearly. The collectivisation nature is to ensure group harmony and empathy for other people’s feelings (Shi and Wang, 2014:47). Nonverbal communication can be expressed via eye contact, gestures, posture or facial expressions. For example, a smile often insinuates pleasure or happiness, but for Chinese people it may also be an indicator of discomfort or embarrassment. The degree of gesturing in Greece, Italy and some Latin American countries is so high that an outsider might think people there are talking with their hands. For Japanese and Chinese speakers, gestures are less prevalent. Greeting gestures also vary. In a business setting, Americans shake hands, Arabs of the same gender kiss on the cheek and Chinese and Japanese people bow. Conclusion In a contemporary, increasingly interdependent world, understanding culture is vital for managers everywhere. A manager who has worked in the United States all his life might not know the day that he will be required to head operations in China or Norway, so he must be prepared by studying cultures. From this discussion, company X can acquire a comprehensive understanding of Chinese culture and use this understanding to facilitate business activities in China. The company can also exploit its understanding to motivate its Chinese employees and get more out of them daily in terms of productivity. The company has to develop a global perspective of culture, irrespective of its inexperience in dealing with Chinese people. No matter what it produces, service it offers, or where it sells its products and services, the firm will meet global competition everywhere. References Becker, K. (2013) Culture and international business, Hoboken, Taylor and Francis. Hawes, C. (2012) The Chinese transformation of corporate culture, New York, Routledge. Kreitner, R., & Kinicki, A. (2010) Organisational behaviour, (9th ed.), Boston, McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Limpanitgul, T., Jirotmontree, A., Robson, M., & Boonchoo, P. (2013) ‘Job attitudes and pro-social service behaviour: A test of the moderating role of organisational culture’ Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, vol. 20, no. 5, 5-12. Punnett, B. (2013) International perspectives on organisational behaviour and human resource management, (3rd ed.), Armonk, NY, Sharpe. Shi, L., & Wang, L. (2014) ‘The Culture Shock and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Chinese Expatriates in International Business Contexts’ International Business Research, vol. 7, no. 1, 43-59. Tong, J. (2011) Finance and society in 21st century China Chinese culture versus Western markets, Farnham, Gower. Tracy, B. (2013) Motivation, New York, AMACOM, American Management Association. Woodside, A. (2010) Organisational culture, business-to-business relationships, and inter-firm networks, Bingley, Emerald. Read More